The pressure to perform on the defensive end doesn't relent in the NBA and Miami is the prime example of this. In one game, I had assignments on LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh... I even had to go on Big Z for a stretch there! I think I did pretty well though... I managed to keep up with LeBron in the first half and it was going to be a big game with 23 points on the board. I only scored 4 in the second half though, which was disappointing, but still; it'd have to go down as my best game to date... and to be against the best team in the league? Hopefully people are going to start to take notice.

We ended up losing by 31... John Wall and Nick Young both had average games with a combined 8-29 shooting night. We can't win by just chucking up shots from the perimeter.

Game 2: Oh Canada!

The first time I had ever been to Canada and I love it there! Not only did we pick up a win, but I was the player of the game with 23 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocked shots. We were down by 4 at the end of the 3rd, but we had a sweet 4th quarter, outscoring the Raptors 27-16. It was a big night for the Young boys as Nick also scored 20 to be the second best scorer in the team.

And who said Bargnani doesn't play good D? He got 3 blocked shots against us and I think 2 of them were against me! Sure he shot 6-21, including 0-9 from the field, but the dude is more beastly than people give him credit for.

Game 3: And then another blowout...

After a huge win in Toronto, we came crashing down to Earth with a 26 point loss to the Blazers. I managed to score 11 points off 6 shots from the field... but I wonder where we lost the game? Could it have been that Turkoglu scored only 2 more points than me off 21 shots? I dunno, it beats me...

Our offense seems to be taking care of itself. I don't need to be calling all the shots. That's what Coach is for. I'll just take the ball when I get it and try to make a play. Might be a shot, might be a pass. No reason to push things and get too far from our regular gameplan. I'm fine with the way things are working now.

...A rather diplomatic response

Week 6 Gallery

| Look out below Bosh! | An easy two |

| Denying Rudy | When did I become the centre?! |

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Thought I'd try out this new recap system. It's less detailed but I figured that I could describe a lot of what happened in the blog entries above and the box score recap system I had was a bit too involved for me. Let me know what you think

This was a big game for guys like Hedo Turkoglu and Kirk Hinrich. Both guys are seen as being just big contracts... and unfortunately in this game, they didn't prove a whole lot otherwise. Kirk was a miserable 2-12 from the floor and while Hedo equalled my top score of 18, he did it off 25 shots, hitting only 7 of them. I know I have a problem with turning the ball over, but taking bad shots is as good as turning it over.

I managed to have a solid game, as I mentioned I scored 18 points and I also grabbed 8 rebounds. I got some tough defensive assignments and for the most part, I came out on the wrong side of them. Steve Nash and Hakim Warrick really went to town on us, scoring 25 and 24, while J-Chillen was the most surprising of them all. He's back to the form he was in when he was with the Hawks and he's one hard guy to guard. I wish I could say that this was a one off bad performance from the team.

Game 2: Kobe's Lakers

So we went to Staples for our second game of the week and we got beaten by the Lakers by the tune of 23 points. It was my first time playing against Kobe and what can I say, the dude is still a beast. The Black Mamba made it a very long night for us, and Ron Artest made it a long night for me. I scored 10 points, grabbed my boards (9 in total) and even got 7 assists, but I shot 38 percent from the field. Ron is arguably the most annoying guy I've ever had guard me and I guess that's what makes him so great. The best defenders get under your skin and get right in your grill. I guess it's what you need to expect from the elite teams.

Game 3: Blown Out in Sac Town? Come on now!

The week got even worse as we suffered an 18 point defeat to the Kings in Sacramento. On the plus side, I had a pretty good game, with 26 points and 13 rebounds (and only 2 turnovers). However the shooting woes for our team continued. The next two highest scorers on our team went 5-25 and 4-14 from the field. We can't even expect to win against the bottom feeder teams if we're shooting like that. We need to use more clock and attack the basket (I'm sounding like a coach now).

Game 4: The Week Swept

For the first time in my career, I have went a week without registering a win. This time we lost at home in front of our fans... double bummer. Wall (20 points 7 rebounds 6 assists) and McGee (19 points 6 rebounds) both had great games, and even Trevor Booker had a nice game with 12, but Wilson Chandler (22) and Amare Stoudemire (20 points 17 rebounds) just played better than us. Unfortunately, I was one of the culprits with poor shooting this time with 3-11 from the field. To compound this problem I also registered 6 turnovers... how frustrating! But that's the thing about this league, just when you think you've overcome a problem, someone comes along and reminds you that it's still there. It's not a bad thing though, it just makes you want to get better.

It's hard because I see my teammates out there doing everything they possibly can to get us wins. But for some reason the shots aren't falling. If we keep putting out maximum effort like we have been, our luck will change. This team is too talented to keep a bad streak like this going for too long.

First game of the new year and Kenny suffers the biggest set back in his career so far. He injured his ankle in an attempt to take a charge against Chris Paul. Prognosis: Severely Sprained Ankle (2-4 weeks)

Even though the Wizards lost, Kenny had a triumphant return with his first career triple double (11 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists).

Kenny returns... during his absense, Flip Saunders was fired and replaced by Kurt Rambis... did they think this was an upgrade?

Also happening during his absense, Acie Law was acquired in exchange for Cartier Martin.

Decided to complete the season in a 3 part series consisting of the period between week 7 and the all-star break (this post), the all-star break (although I'm not sure how much info I can get on the main game since I didn't play in it) and the time after the break til the season's end.

I played ahead quite a few games and the more I played, the more I was overwhelmed by having to do it week by week. So in an attempt to keep it going, I decided on this format... atleast to end this season. Hope to get some feedback

Last edited by Kenny on Wed Apr 27, 2011 12:27 am, edited 1 time in total.

Congrats on getting selected to the Rookie Challenge! Sucks you couldn't get more minutes though. I remember I had 20 assists as a point guard, but the sim engine screwed me over as it turned an 8-point lead to a 16-point deficit for us rookies.

It surprises me that David Andersen is always selected to the Rookie Challenge, but he is a beast in 2K after all.

Axel. wrote:Congrats on getting selected to the Rookie Challenge! Sucks you couldn't get more minutes though. I remember I had 20 assists as a point guard, but the sim engine screwed me over as it turned an 8-point lead to a 16-point deficit for us rookies.

It surprises me that David Andersen is always selected to the Rookie Challenge, but he is a beast in 2K after all.

Thanks Axel, the coach of the team was Greg Popovich, so I could possibly work that into the story at some point I think. I've been having a big problem with the game's sim engine as well. The Wizards are pretty hopeless, but some of leads I've seen teams come back from have been diabolical.

He was a beast in my NBA Live 10 dynasty as well... who knows. Nice to see another Aussie doing well though.

This is the last part of My Player's season. The next post will be results from around the league and possibly a highlight package of my best dunks.

It only took until the second game after the All-Star Break for Hedo Turkoglu to get a spot back in the starting lineup.

This made Kenny go back to his role as 6-man

Marvin Williams suffered from back spasms in the game against the Warriors and it was the first of what happened to be a chronic back problem for him throughout the season.

After struggling to register a point in his 49th game, Young played a hell of a game against the Warriors. In 31 minutes he scored 31 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal.

Stealing the ball became a big part of Kenny's game post all-star break. Here he is picking off a pass to Eddy Curry.

Kenny backed up his impressive performance against the Warriors with another MVP display against the Wolves. He filled out the stat sheet with 22 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.

But once again an injury plagued his momentum. After taking a successful charge attempt against Will Bynum, Young was left floored. The Wizards surrendered a big lead to lose by a point and Kenny went on to miss 3 weeks (or 9 games) with a Strained Abdomen.

Due to continuous poor performances by Turkoglu, Kenny was rushed back into the starting lineup against the Warriors in California. He was outstanding once again against Golden State, with a game of 30 points (from 25 minutes), but an unusually low rebound count (only 2). Monta wanted to be apart of Kenny's rookie poster.

But Kenny and the Wizards fell short once again, losing by a point in the Bay Area. Despite scoring 30, Young became increasingly frustrated by his team's shot selection (*cough*Arenas*cough*) and having them only pass him the ball with 5 left on the clock.

There is also an internal rivalry between Young and Turkoglu. With Hedo shooting a poultry 35 percent from the field, it'd be hard not to be frustrated when the coach is constantly considering him for your starting spot.

Kenny grabbed a career high 20 rebounds against the Hawks, but in the third last game of the season, the Wizards dropped their 11th straight game and cemented their wooden spoon in the East.

After what many would call a disasterous season, the Wizards finished on a high, winning their last two games against Boston (1 point) and blowing out Cleveland by 29. With Young becoming a free agent though, some might say the damage has already been done and he could distance himself from coach Rambis in the off-season.

Definitely a few unexpected results in that season... I guess the wacky sim results from TNL are haunting me in this as well

You're probably right about the dunk, for a long time in the season, the dunk on Josh Smith was actually my number one. But because I did that one from the Raptors pretty much off a step, I decided to rank it higher. I guess they're interchangable really.

Kenny Young decided to end his tumultuous tenure with the Washington Wizards, signing with the Denver Nuggets. After Carmelo Anthony decided to leave the franchise for Indiana, the Nuggets were on the hunt for a new small forward and eagerly persued the signature of Kenny Young after he enjoyed a surprisingly productive rookie campaign.

Sources close to the situation say that Young also had offers from the Los Angeles Lakers and the New Orleans Hornets, as well as an option to re-sign with the Wizards, but claimed the lure of playing time was too good to refuse.

Young was the second high profile signing of the off-season, as Jamal Crawford of the Atlanta Hawks also agreed on terms with the franchise.

After Denver's franchise player Carmelo Anthony left for the Pacers, the Denver Nuggets had a large void to fill at the 3. Coming off a surprise All-Rookie First Team season, Kenny Young has gone from the guy nobody expected anything from to replacing arguably the franchise's greatest player. With J.R. Smith and Arron Afflalo moving on and the retirement of coach George Karl, the Nuggets are a side in transition and Young now has the opportunity to be at the forefront of this movement. Can he rise to the challenge or fade away into obscurity?

I was going to do this in a monthly format, butunder the circumstances of which this season has started, the first three should really be put together. Here it is, the story so far:

Kenny Young was one of Denver's big signings in the off-season along with Jamal Crawford.

The first game he played for the Nuggets he had to guard Kevin Durant. KD ended up scoring 43 points in 43 minutes as Denver were on the end of a 105-87 blowout. Young had 14 points and 10 rebounds in his first game for Denver.

His second game started with great promise with this and 1 against the Mavs.

Denver is a team at a crossroads and two key players to their transition are in picture.

The chronic ankle injury that plagued Kenny Young last season came back in just the 2 game of his sophomore campaign. The game against Dallas was bittersweet. Young had 12 points and 13 rebounds in 25 minutes to help Denver to a 103-96 win, but the Nuggets paid a heavy toll with Young to be out for 2-4 weeks with a Severely Sprained Ankle.

With the Nuggets struggling to 3-6, some trades were made and Young came back early from injury after missing 6 games.

It would be a decision he'd regret though, playing for just 13 minutes before aggravating his already injured ankle. Denver ended up losing 103-100.

At 7-14, Denver pulled the trigger on some more trades. It's now becoming evident that the Nuggets are having a firesale this year, already getting rid of the under-performing Jamal Crawford.

Three of Denver's new faces: Marcin Gortat, Brandon Rush and Cartier Martin.

Despite being a poor on-ball defender, a great strength of his game is his help defense. Here he is blocking a layup of Stephen Jackson.

All signs were good for Kenny once again as he performed this spectacular windmill dunk.

But the ankle would give in once again. Add another 2-4 weeks on the sidelines and a 12 point loss to the Bobcats.

After missing 9 games, Young came back with a vengence against Portland. At this point Denver were 11-18.

Despite another disappointing loss, a positive to this game was that Kenny Young got through it without injury. He had a pretty good stat-line at the end to: 20 points, 17 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals.

Another new team mate of Kenny's is Keyon Dooling. Unfortunately he didn't help the Nuggets overcome the Jazz and the losing continues in the post-Melo era. Young had another solid outing with 14 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.

Looks like in addition to being arguably the league's most frustrating player, I'm going to be on another cellar dweller team... huzzah! I almost gave in to Thierryitis, but I'll try to ride this out. Hopefully some wins are on the way.

Wow, that must be frustrating to get injured that many times. At this rate, you'll probably take Yao's career path and become GM of a team from Australia during your free time. What's your durability rating?

Axel. wrote:Wow, that must be frustrating to get injured that many times. At this rate, you'll probably take Yao's career path and become GM of a team from Australia during your free time. What's your durability rating?

I think my guy would be more likely to make a rap album or buy some fur coats

Before my third injury I actually bumped my durability rating up to 80, but obviously that wasn't enough.

Valdis wrote:3 injuries? You should upgrade your durability Impressive game against Blazers

I did but yeah, obviously not enough to avoid it completely.

I was really happy with the Portland game, my shooting percentage has been down this season, but I was on fire in that one.

Thierry • wrote:Man, that sucks But you had some really nice statlines in the way.

That's what I don't like about My Player mode, all those CPU trades.

At this rate I'm going to be one of those "what if" players. It is rather frustrating, but it does help get through the season quickly

I hate all the trades as well. Hedo Turkoglu completely screwed me over last season.

Martti. wrote:Only fitting you signed with the Nuggets!

You can't seem to stay healthy.

Houndy wrote:Legit, you signed with the Nuggets.

Sucks you have 3 injuries

Yeah, I dunno what my guys ankles are made out of; he has big hops yet they fail on him at any given moment.

Nuggets were always going to be my first choice. Funny thing was, last season I actually had some interest from them when it came to a trade deadline deal, but I decided to stick with the Wizards for the entire season and go from there.

Again, I was going to post this month-by-month. I could summarise the following with this one picture:

But some other things happened as well, so the normal format will follow.

One of the areas Young has looked to improve through practice is his jumpshot. He's just beginning to find his range.

When healthy, he can put up good numbers even against the great teams. Against the Lakers he had 22 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals.

Despite chronic injuries, he still plays with the same reckless abandon.

Don't tell Johan Petro that Kenny Young is soft.

Despite sticking with the Lakers most of the way, the Nuggets ended up losing by 103-97.

Kenny exploded against the Hornets, but Denver still lost. In 35 minutes, Young had 26 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals.

Just as we see a glimpse of his potential, he falls to another injury. This time a strained abdomen that would keep him out for 2-4 weeks.

During his injury, Denver pulled the trigger on another big trade. This time, Young's favourite team mate Chauncey Billups was traded to the Rockets for Kyle Lowry and Brad Miller.

Kenny had a strong first half back and was the pick of the Denver team.

He managed to surpass his career high of 20 rebounds by grabbing 22 against the Bucks, as well as 13 points, 5 assists and 3 steals. But the Bucks won the close encounter by 105-102.

One step forward, two steps back. Kenny lasted just 2 minutes against the Chicago Bulls before injuring that troublesome ankle once again. He was on the court long enough to register his 1000th career point, but this latest injury will see him miss the Rookie Challenge.

Record: 18-39

Games Played by My Player: 11

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So, after this I bumped up my durability rating to 98. If I continue to get injuries at the rate I have been, I will call complete shenanigans on this game

Even though I like Lowry, I don't like that trade. I hate how 2K hyped their 'improved' trade logic only to have it still be really bad. You should get to work on that rap album with all those injuries I guess. Nice game you had against the Lakers.

I hate it as well; Lowry is a nice backup point guard, but a starting two? I don't think so.

Valdis wrote:What the f...? A lot of injuries, and Billups traded for Lowry and Millers...57 games and you played only 11, that sucks. Looks like your second season will end fast.

\

I know, things haven't gone as planned and I hate the fact that this team is getting blown up.

Axel. wrote:Even though I like Lowry, I don't like that trade. I hate how 2K hyped their 'improved' trade logic only to have it still be really bad. You should get to work on that rap album with all those injuries I guess. Nice game you had against the Lakers.

The My Player mode still needs a lot of improvements, the "trade logic" has to be a big one on the list. That and the dumbass AI you tend to play with. The opposition hits contested shots when your team mates often miss wide open looks. I'm thinking the album shall feature Shaq

Thierry • wrote:Again, not liking the deals...

But I started a new My Player save anyway.

I hate that the team management is completely out of my control. In the rookie season, they asked me for 5 players I'd like to play with and they delivered none of them. And I didn't aim that high; I believe I even asked for the Birdman just to have another big on the team that could block shots.

Good luck with your My Player

Houndy wrote:Your ankle is screwy

You're producing.. hope your career doesn't end up like T-Mac.

That's just it, I'm happy with the numbers I get when I play, I just can't seem to stay on the court. I'm not putting up the numbers to be classified as the next T-Mac... probably more like Shaun Livingston right now

I bumped my durability up to 98, so hopefully the next few posts won't consist of my guy laying on the ground:

The Nuggets completed another trade, sending Jason Maxiell and Chris Andersen to the Kings for Francisco Garcia and Donte Greene.

The game following that trade, the Nuggets won against Memphis 97-89. Despite having a sub-par 6 point game off 2-8 shooting, Young helped out in other ways with 11 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals. This alley oop dunk was the highlight of the night.

Shocking everyone (including his coach), Kenny nailed his first career 3 pointer against the Nets.

He came out firing against his old coach Kurt Rambis.

His dominance continued as he recorded a season high 31.

The Nuggets picked up their second game in a row, beating New Jersey 108-98.

Kenny Young was the player of the game with 31 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal from 32 minutes of play. He was also far more efficient than last game, shooting 12 of 20 from the field and hitting 100% from the line.

However the next game he had one of the best perimeter defenders in the league guarding him. He almost had a triple double (12 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists) and a career high 4 steals, but Denver lost 89-77.

Young's jumpshot seems to be improving by the game.

He once again had an outstanding first half, this time being compared to the greatest player in the world. Despite grabbing his second career triple-double and filling out the stat-line (13 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks), Kenny Young and the Denver Nuggets were emphatically blown out by the hot Atlanta Hawks by 100-67.

Record: 20-41Games Played by My Player: 15

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Well, the plus side is that I managed to get a couple of wins and it looks like the ankle is holding up (for now). Hopefully the next report can be a long one, with My Player completing the whole month injury free

As always, the second post on the front page will be updated if you want to check My Player's stats.